According to data published by education platform Inside Higher Ed, around 16 universities will close in 2025, and that number could rise even more in 2026.
But southern states like the University of Alabama, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Florida are seeing spikes.
College Fix reporter Brianna Chapman investigated recent enrollment growth and found that more than 100 colleges have closed or consolidated in the past eight years.
In 2024, the Federal Reserve released a study predicting that 80 companies would close over the next five years, or 16 companies per year.
To find out what the future holds for universities, Chapman interviewed Richard Vedder, a former economics professor at Ohio University and senior fellow at the Independent Institute.
“The number of rejected universities has not risen to “pandemic levels.” But fiscal problems have escalated significantly over the past five to 10 years, with “total college enrollment” reaching “stagnation or even decline,” Vedder said.
Vedder said part of the reason some of these schools are closing is because of cuts to federal aid by the Trump administration.
Another reason for school closures and declining enrollment is that more parents and students are realizing that a college degree is not necessary for high-paying jobs.
Another online education site, Best Colleges (bestcollegres.com), surveyed college students and found that going back to 2022, 10.1 million college students (54%) were taking at least one class online.
In 2024, Best Colleges released the following findings:
96% of online college graduates recommend online learning.
93% of graduates said their online degree led to a positive return on investment.
Three-quarters (75%) of students said online education was better or equal to in-person learning.
